Article: Discursive legacies: The U.S. peace movement and “support the troops.” Social Problems, May 2008
Summary: Supporting the troops has become ubiquitous. Gone are the contentious relations between Vietnam-era protesters and returning troops, as accusations of murder have given way to “support the troops, bring them home” bumper stickers. Coy, Woehrle, and Maney look at how peace movements have “developed an elaborated ‘discourse of betrayal’ by redefining what it means to support the troops.” By employing “proactive, anticipatory discourses,” the peace movement has attempted to side-step questions of patriotism by a redefinition of what it means to truly support the troops. The article demonstrates that movement discourses and rhetoric are simultaneously stable and flexible, and are highly influenced by contemporary politics and cultural constraints.